Question

read this excerpt from the narrative of the life of frederick douglass.

to use his own words, further, mr. auld said, \if you give him an inch, he will take an ell. he should know nothing but to obey, to do as he is told to do. now,\ said he, \if you teach him (speaking of myself) how to read, there would be no keeping him. it would forever unfit him to be a slave. he would at once become unmanageable, and of no value.\

what is mr. aulds attitude toward douglass?

he believes douglass is planning an escape and should be monitored.
he believes douglass is not as capable or as valuable as other enslaved persons.
he believes douglass would be threatening if he knew how to read.
he believes douglass should be taught to read and freed from slavery.

Explanation:

Analyze the excerpt

The text shows Mr. Auld discussing Douglass: "if you teach [him]... how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value."

Evaluate the options

• Option 1 suggests escape monitoring, which is not the primary focus of the quote.
• Option 2 suggests Douglass is less capable, but Mr. Auld actually fears his potential capability if educated.
• Option 3 states he believes Douglass would be threatening (unmanageable/unfit to be a slave) if he knew how to read. This matches "unfit him to be a slave" and "unmanageable."
• Option 4 is opposite to Mr. Auld's actual stance against teaching him to read.

Answer:

• He believes Douglass is planning an escape and should be monitored.
• He believes Douglass is not as capable or as valuable as other enslaved persons.
• He believes Douglass would be threatening if he knew how to read. (Correct answer)
• He believes Douglass should be taught to read and freed from slavery.